MSc Accounting and Finance

To provide a grounding in the principles of accounting for students at Master level, most of whom are intending to pursue a specialist career in accounting or finance.

The role of the management accountant continues to evolve; and with advances in technology, demand for management accounting skills has been on the rise to support strategic decision-making in businesses. In this module, you will develop knowledge and skills that will enable you to apply specialist management accounting techniques to analyse and convert data into meaningful managerial information for planning, decision-making, control, and performance evaluation. The focus of your learning will be on how to provide effective solutions to a range of real-life business problems; from developing efficient costing & pricing strategies to the analysis of variances and managing organisational performance. The module builds on management accounting techniques covered in Principles of Accounting.

This module provides an opportunity for students to appreciate and apply the rules and practices in company financial reporting, as well as the theoretical ideas underpinning them. The focus is on internationally accepted rules and practices (International Financial Reporting Standards and International Accounting Standards), rather than just those in the UK.

The module provides the theoretical underpinnings of our MSc Accounting and Finance programme. It introduces the pivotal concepts which form the basis of theoretical finance under three broad headings; Portfolio Theory and Practice, Equilibrium in Capital Markets and Introductory Analysis of Asset Classes. Core concepts include the relationship between risk and return, the Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM) and the Efficient Market Hypothesis (EMH) but the module also extends this analysis into new theoretical areas such as Behavioural Finance.

This module lays the statistical and econometric foundations for data analyses and modelling, covering fundamental topics of estimation and inferences of linear and non-linear econometric models using Excel/Stata software. The quantitative, analytical and software skills acquired from this module will directly enable students to conduct independent quantitative analysis of data using estimation as well as hypotheses testing. As such, the module aims to help students to learn research methods, an integral part of any research project at post-graduate level, market analysis or policy analysis in government and non-government organisations.

The module offers a structured approach to the conceptual and practical principles of auditing. It provides a real-world perspective on current auditing practices with coverage of topical developments and issues, including artificial intelligence and its impact on external audit engagements.

This module extends the knowledge acquired in the earlier accounting and finance modules to examine accounting theories and reporting practices adopted by reporting entities. The module explores accounting and finance issues such as governance, measurement models, provisions, etc. This will enable students to understand real-life, complex, international issues in the accounting and finance world and synthesise relevant information to analyse the case. It encourages independent learning and provides students with the knowledge, skills, and understanding required to critically evaluate how regulatory requirements and incentives affect firms’ reporting practices.

As a result of a range of recent corporate scandals an increased emphasis has been put on corporate social responsibility and the need for the board of directors to conform to an ethical code of conduct while managing the affairs of an entity. This module explores how corporate governance examines the system of rules, principles and procedures through which a company is run to promote the best interest of its shareholders, other stakeholders and the wider society, and considers the impact of artificial intelligence on organisations.

This module is targeted at students interested in understanding the pricing of derivative securities, specifically options. Applications are used to reinforce a rigorous development of arbitrage theory that underpins the pricing of derivative securities.

This module further develops finance for students interested in corporate finance. The module is to demonstrate the link between those various decisions and areas. In particular, we will explore how the firm’s financing, investment, capital structure and payout policies interact with each other and how those decisions have implications for corporate bankruptcy and takeovers.

This module examines international currency markets and currency transactions, exchange rate systems and the implications of exchange rate volatility. It also explores various currency risks that arise from international operations and examines issues that arise when firms seek financing outside their home markets.

Corporate Governance is an area that has grown rapidly in the last few years fuelled by high profile corporate collapses and financial crisis. The module builds on sound theoretical base to encompass the latest developments in the field worldwide. It takes an international approach to corporate governance, contextualising its development and providing a stimulating range of academic and empirical practitioner research, and topical case studies. It also introduces institutional and legal systems from both government and firm’s viewpoints that influence the effectiveness of corporate governance.

Risk management focuses on the following types of financial risk that arise for a business: market risk, credit risk and liquidity risk. A brief introduction to non-financial risks is also given, but is not the main focus. This module considers financial risk management strategies; how risk is evaluated; the methods that are available to hedge against risk and the strategies that are employed to mitigate risk. This is complemented by consideration of key risk management issues for financial institutions including bank capital adequacy. The lessons to be learned from the Financial Crisis of 2007-08 are also investigated. Understanding risk and how to identify and deal with it provides a key input for students of finance, accounting or banking.

The module equips students with the knowledge and tools to implement financial models using Python. The course introduces students to the general principles of building financial models, as well as a number of specific financial modelling tools, including matrix calculations, optimization, regression analysis (both time-series modelling and panel data modelling), out-of-sample forecasting and simulation. These methods are applied to a range of practical problems in finance, including passive and active portfolio management, risk management and currency valuation. The emphasis of the course is on practical application of the theory, with lectures on each topic followed by in-depth practical classes, in which students work through real world problems using Python.

This is a core module for the MSc Accounting and Finance Programme. Being the final element of the Programme, it provides an opportunity to conduct study on an international accounting or finance-related situation and reflect on it. Students will have the opportunity to consult with the module convenor while deciding on the business case that interests them. The research should be based on secondary data sources. Support session will be conducted by the module convenor to assist students to gain a clear understanding of the requirements of the report.